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Gender-segregated Seating In angkot ineffective to prevent sexual harassment: PSI

Source
Tempo - July 12, 2022

Moh. Khory Alfarizi, Jakarta – Jakarta Transportation Agency planned to separate seats for women and men in public transport minivans or locally known as angkot in a bid to prevent sexual harassment.

Eneng Malianasari, a member of the Jakarta Legislative Council (DPRD) from the PSI faction, opined that the gender-segregated seating policy is ineffective and only brings a short-term effect."Besides, the agency does not think about the narrow space of angkot to separate the seats, unlike Transjakarta or the Commuter Line which have a large space," she said in a written statement, Monday, July 11, 2022.

The Council's Commission C member explained that the issue is not only about the implementation of the policy, but also about how the supervision and control are carried out by law enforcement officers to prevent the recurrence of sexual harassment cases in the future.

Eneng urged the city administration together with all relevant stakeholders, including the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM), the National Commission for Children and Women (Komnas Anak dan Perempuan), and other NGOs to sit down together and discuss long-term strategies, especially in public transportation.

"By sitting together, it is hoped that there will be a precise solution to overcome this disgraceful thing from happening again," she remarked.

Rampant cases of violence and sexual harassment should be a concern for all parties, said the PSI politician. The government needs to formulate a system to create a sense of security and convenience for residents on public transportation.

According to Amnesty International, sexual harassment and violence are serious human rights cases. Thus, Eneng underlined that acts of sexual violence, including sexual harassment, must be handled in a systematic and organized manner in order to break the chain and prevent a recurrence of such cases.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/1611130/gender-segregated-seating-in-angkot-ineffective-to-prevent-sexual-harassment-ps

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